Test Subject
by superguy
Summary: On a business trip, Lex Luthor sees two boys walk through a brick wall between platforms Nine and Ten. When a sticklooking object is discovered where the boys were, Lex flies it back to Smallville to have it tested.
1. Kings Cross

Test Subject

A Harry Potter/Smallville Fanfiction

superguy

Author's Note: For a long time now I've been searching for a fanfiction that crossed the worlds of Harry Potter and Smallville because I'm a big fan of both. I found a few, but they weren't really what I was looking for in terms of plot line and character development. So, I decided that I'd write one myself. This may be a daring leap on my part, but this fanfiction is meant to entertain and a lot of thought has gone into the story and character interactions. All legal rights are recognized, and the characters are the property of their creators.

Chapter One:

Kings Cross

Lex Luthor was a very busy man. Among his many obligations were running his own industry, Luthorcorp, quieting financial complainers and putting up with his always prying father, Lionel Luthor - just to name a few. But the only thing he felt obligated to at the moment was sleeping.

Sitting in his own private jet was an unappreciated luxury for Lex. He could easily pull out his cellular phone and order a jet to pick him up on the spot - weather permitting of course. The cool air conditioning and wonderful leather smell were almost an everyday thing for the young man. So it was no big surprise he should fall asleep on a four-hour flight to England.

Resting his head against the seat back, he had slowly reclined the comfortable seat and allowed himself to doze off. On normal occasions he would never be caught doing such an act - the threat of being drugged by a predecessor was too great. But there was no one on this jet besides himself and the pilot.

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor?"

_And the flight attendant_, he thought bitterly to himself as he rolled his eyes before opening them. He couldn't seem to get a break, could he?

Smiling slightly to appear polite, Lex acknowledged the pretty flight attendant's presence.

"Yes, what is it?"

The young woman - no older than twenty-one, stared at him for a moment as if just noticing something about him. Then, after a quick blink of the eyes, continued.

"Uh...we're making our final descent into London in five minutes. The pilot just wanted to let you know. Is there anything I can get you before we land?"

Lex shook his head. "No, thanks."

The woman nodded and started back towards the front of the jet. Lex noticed her eyes dart back to him before she slipped behind the black curtain separating the mechanics of the jet and his own quarters.

_She did it_, he thought to himself. Sitting up, he gave a small smile and a flick of the eyebrows. _But then again...They always do that_.

That, referring to the curiosity of the flight attendants. After all, it wasn't every day that they got to wait on a man that had been bald since he was seven.

But not all of them awoke him from dreams of defeating his father in a financial war. He had to give her that. He couldn't' complain, though. The dream would be a reality after his trip to England. Provided, his investors were won over, that is.

Lex was a businessman. A good one, he liked to think. And now, he was hoping to play his pawns across the chessboard just right to give him the upper hand over Luthorcorp. He and his father had been battling over power ever since he could remember. Who had the most money? Who had the most stock? It was all a game to Lionel.

Well, it wasn't to Lex. He took his investments seriously. And the one he was on his way to make was of the important variety.

The pilot's voice came over the intercom, the usual static accompanying it.

"_We are making our descent into London. Please acknowledge the seat belt light has been lit and thank-you for travelling with us_."

Lex chuckled as he fastened his seat belt. He didn't know why this particular pilot always added that last line. Who else was he going to fly with? It was _his_ private jet after all. He guessed if it made the pilot happy...

The roar of the engines slowly got louder, making the seats vibrate with it. This was always the moment of truth for Lex. Would the jet land safely? Or would he crash to his doom the way that his father was always secretly hoping he would?

Everything slanted as the nose of the jet dipped down, coming in to the landing strip. Lex gripped the arms of his seat tightly. He hated this part the most. But, his nerves were in vain once again. The landing gear made smooth contact with the tar strip and the jet shot down it like a speeding bullet.

The intercom came on once again as the jet slowed to a gradual stop.

"_Mr. Luthor, welcome to England_."

The many joys of being in a new country greeted Lex the way they always did. One of the big ones was the feel of the air. Not many people noticed it, but it was cooler than back in the States. Perhaps it was because of all the rain England had been getting the past month. But, either way, Lex was happy to get into his reserved limousine and start off towards his destination.

The driver looked up at him in the rearview mirror, tipping his hat. This reminded him that the voice of the pilot would probably be the last American accented voice he'd hear for a while. In his experience, someone who sounded British usually sounded intelligent. This was not always the case. Lex could see hints of New-York-taxi-driver in this man sitting in the drivers' seat and nodded. Despite the culture change, Lex thought to himself, _everyone's the same_.

"Kings Cross?" the driver stated more than asked, making sure he had the right man.

Lex nodded, running a hand along the back of his head the way some men ran their fingers through their hair. "Yes, Kings Cross please."

The driver watched Lex for a minute or two more, then focused on driving. "You don't sound like you're doing too good."

Lex shrugged. "The climate change. Doesn't help me much."

The driver chuckled and drove on. In a few minutes Lex would be on his train, preparing to make a million or so more dollars. That would be the most fun he'd ever have on a trip to England.

Lex was pleased that he wasn't in the limousine very long. He was right. The driver was just like the ones from New York.

"Thanks," he said as he leaned forwards to talk to the man. "You're going to be picking me up after?"

The man nodded.

"I'll be here."

"Good."

The station was busy. Lex wasn't sure if it was busier than usual or just plain busy. But he _was_ sure that he bumped into five or so people while on his way to get his ticket. The booth selling them was like an island in the middle of a great storm of people and trolleys.

Shoving his way through the sea of people, he finally made it to the ticket booth, resting a shoulder on the countertop as he reached into his jacket pocket with the other. His wallet was there amidst his passport and plain tickets assuring him that the jet was indeed his - or his father's. He liked to call it his because it made him feel powerful. He was.

"Buying a ticket?" the woman at the counter asked through the hole in the plexiglass window.

Lex nodded. "Actually, I have one reserved for the 11:00 train."

The woman nodded, brushing some hair out of her face as she turned to the computer to her right. After typing on it for a moment, she turned back to him.

"May I have your name please?"

"Lex Luthor."

The woman nodded and turned back to the computer. She typed the name into the machine and frowned as a beeping noise was heard.

"I'm sorry, are you sure that's right?" she asked as she leaned closer to the window to hear him better. "Did you say _Lex_?"

Lex shook his thoughts for a moment and grinned, something he didn't do often. "No, I'm sorry. You probably have it reserved under _Alexander_ Luthor. That's actually my whole name."

The woman smiled and turned again to her computer and typed it in. "Ah yes," she started after a moment, "Alexander Luthor. On a business trip I suppose? The way you're dressed. All decked up."

Lex nodded. That was all he had to do. He didn't want to go into too great detail about his business affairs to a complete stranger, so left it with the nod. The woman took his ticket from the dispenser beside the monitor of the computer and ripped it in half, giving him the acceptance half.

"There you go. Your train will be straight down that way at platform ten. You can't miss it."

"Thanks." Lex replied as he stepped back into the crowd and off towards his train.

It wasn't there yet. He found himself standing before platform ten with nothing to do. He was after all early. He prided himself in being that way. Who knows what would have happened if he'd missed his train? His father would have mocked him forever...

Suddenly a loud screech was heard over the crowd and Lex frowned. The piercing noise hit him like an arrow going straight to his ears. What in the world was that? It sounded unlike anything he'd ever heard in a station before. More like an animal than the sound a wailing child would make -

Looking up, he spotted the source of the noise. Two boys were making their way towards where he stood, pushing two identical trolleys before them. On the top of one of the trolleys was - Lex couldn't believe his eyes - a snowy owl!

"What in the world..." he muttered to himself as he watched the two boys. What were they doing with a caged animal at a train station?

The boys didn't notice his staring because a man wearing what looked like robes a magician would wear came up behind them suddenly. He had longer, brown hair and a brushed it out of his face as he addressed the two boys.

One - the one with the flaming red hair - grinned as the man gave him a pat on the back. Lex caught part of their conversation as they continued to move towards him.

"...Ready to get onto the platform?"

"Yeah - get me away from my mum." the red headed boy said with a grin. The other boy - Lex guessed his friend - with dark, ebony hair and the owl chuckled.

"She still bothering you?" the man asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"When does she not?" the red head said with a smile.

"Oh well, you two better hurry up and get onto the platform. It's almost time to board..."

The boy with dark hair and spectacles nodded and stopped his cart abruptly along with the red head.

_Oh great_, Lex thought to himself, lowering his eyes. _They're riding on my train. The joys of London_.

Looking back up, he noticed that the man who was with them was pulling something out of his robes. It appeared to be a stick. More like a twig with a perfect point. _What in the world..._?

Then, a loud crack was heard and the man was gone.

Lex blinked. What? Where in the world had the man gone to? He was right there - Lex could have sworn it...

"Alright," the dark haired boy said as he nodded to the red head. "Let's go."

Lex stared on in amazement as the two boys started charging at the barrier between platforms nine and ten with their trolleys. He stepped back as they ran towards him - thinking they were nuts. What were they doing?

Then, as he anticipated the crash of their trolleys into the barrier, they disappeared. Just like the man did before.

"What?" he started, stepping towards where the boys had been. "What?!"

Where did they go?

Lex was sure he had imagined the whole thing. Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly grabbed a woman and held her before him.

"Did you just see -"

The woman fended him off, whacking him with her purse.

"LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW YOU RUFFIAN!" she yelled as she stomped on his foot and stormed off.

Crouching to the ground, Lex rubbed his sore foot. Perhaps that wasn't the most professional thing to do to a woman especially in a country where he was an alien...

Then he spotted it. Before the barrier was a stick looking object, close to the one that the man had pulled out of his robes.

Making sure that no one saw, Lex grabbed it and held it in his hand, close to his chest so that no one suspected he was stealing....

_A twig_.

He had to chuckle. What was he doing, picking up twigs from the floor?

What would people think?

About to put the twig back on the floor, Lex jumped as the end of the twig emitted sparks. The purple flashes vanished quickly, only a memory.

For the first time in his entire life, Lex was abandoning his mission. It didn't matter to him how much money he was losing because something amazing had just happened. Despite the yelling of the plump woman, he was sure he had seen what he had seen. The man disappearing and then the two boys disappearing into nowhere, leaving the twig object behind.

Pulling out his cell phone, he flipped it open and dialed the number for the limousine.

After a few rings, the driver picked up.

"Hello?"

"Yes," Lex started. "I will be needing a ride back to the airport. Something's come up and I must get back to the States immediately."


	2. Missing

Chapter Two:

Missing

The Hogwarts Express vibrated slightly, sending a buzz through the seat bottoms to awake the slumbering students. A constant drum pelted against the windows as the storm chorused outside. But most students found comfort in the rain because it drowned out the sounds of the startled owls, caged behind in a baggage car. With the bright light coming from the front, the scarlet steam engine sliced through the sheets of icy rain, speeding down the tracks towards its castle destination.

Harry Potter sat with his head against the cold window, letting his breath play with mist across the blurry glass. Unbeknownst to his two friends, red-haired and lanky Ron, and bushy-haired, swift witted Hermione, Harry had been dozing. The events of earlier that morning had weighed him down and sleep came easily to him.

Dreams plagued him as he slept. It was only then that he noticed he wasn't truly asleep. He wasn't completely immersed into the dream world because every now and then his ears would catch a snippet of the conversation Ron and Hermione were having.

"…He really came to your house?"

"Yeah. Dad couldn't believe it…"

Harry felt a yawn coming on. His lungs sucked in the chilled window air on instinct. He let his jaw drop as he was reintroduced to the land of awake.

The lights seemed brighter than he remembered as his pupils dilated. Round yellow lights reflected off his glasses. He could see two of every light in the closed compartment.

Stretching his arms in front of him, lacing his fingers together, he grinned. Ron noticed.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us." he said with a smile as he gave Harry's already messy hair rub. Harry would have fended him off on normal occasion, but sleep was still with him and he abandoned the effort.

Hermione defended him anyway, smiling with a shove across the compartment at Ron.

"Ron - don't mess up Harry's hair! He just woke up."

Harry was mostly awake now. Gathering up his dress robes that were once folded, he placed them on his lap.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Hermione." he said halfway through clearing his throat. "My hair's always messy."

Ron shrugged and reached over to mess it again. This time harry rolled his eyes in protest.

"See?" Ron said as he leaned back in the seat beside Harry. "I think it makes you look older."

"I don't want to look older, Ron," Harry replied with a smile. "I just want to be seventeen and alive."

Although Harry knew Ron had been teasing in good humor, his last statement sucked the happiness out of the compartment. Ron shifted his gaze to the floor. Hermione set herself to folding Harry's robes. Harry watched as she took care in his uniform.

"Thought you'd be sleeping the whole trip." she said, not removing her stare from the clothing.

"I was tired."

"Exhausted!" Ron cut in with a serious expression on his face. "You zonked out the moment you sat down!"

"Yeah," Harry said as he ran his fingers through his hair, trying vainly to flatten it. "Didn't even know it was raining until I woke up. Thought I'd dreamed it."

"No, it's real." Ron replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of Every Flavor Beans.

The mid-day nap seemed to zap more life out of Harry than add, so Harry rested his head back against the window. Silence filled the compartment for a moment before Ron started talking again.

"So, as I was saying," he continued as though harry were asleep again. "It was a little crazy at the Burrow for a while."

"Yeah -" Harry cut in. "What was that all about?"

Ron glanced over at him.

"What was what?"

Harry sat up.

"The person - who came over to the Burrow over the summer?"

Ron looked stunned. "You heard that?"

"Just the snippet. Who was it?"

Ron rolled his eyes.

"Knew I'd have to tell the story again."

"Either way, I'd find out. You can tell me here or at the feast."

Ron gave in.

"Rather tell you here than when everyone can hear."

Harry sat back in the seat, crossing his arms as he looked at Ron, anticipating the excitement of a summer story. He hadn't been to the Burrow at all that summer, and it had killed him. There was absolutely nothing exciting that happened at the Dursley's. He had sat in his room by himself writing fake letters that he knew he could never send to his friends. Dumbledore had told him it was not wise to send anything by owl any more because of the recent rise of Voldemort.

So, Harry hadn't sent anything. Rather, he saved the letters and was planning on giving them to Ron and Hermione after he had awoken. Well, he was awake now, but the story was much more interesting than the letters he had written.

Ron cleared his throat and began again. This sounded like it would be good.

"So, as I was saying," he started. "We had a visitor at the Burrow over the summer." Harry gave Hermione a questioning look, and Ron went on. "Lucius Malfoy, to be exact."

"No way!" Harry started, sitting up. "What did that great oaf want?"

"Well, he just stopped in one morning while we were all eating breakfast. We didn't even hear him come up the drive. He seemed quite full of himself, as he always does ("As does Malfoy!" Harry added with a groan,) and he was waving some rolled parchment around in his hand.

"So, Dad got up and sent us out of the room, but I stopped at the stairs and listened without anyone seeing me. Lucius went on with his terrible drawl about how he had gotten a petition signed by members of the Ministry to have Dad fired. He even unrolled the parchment to show. Dad was so upset - he yelled at Lucius unlike I'd ever heard him yell at anyone before. It was really scary. He even took out his wand! But, Lucius left quickly. He said something over his shoulder about how the Enchanted Car was the big tip off. Can you believe that?"

"So, your dad's really fired?"

Ron shook his head.

"No. Dumbledore stepped in and explained everything. He had the car retrieved from the forest and did something to it so that it wasn't enchanted again. Everyone believed that Lucius was a liar - which he is - and dad was off the hook."

"Wow," Harry said as he sat back. Hermione handed him the pile of robes, which he thanked her for. "Couldn't have folded them myself, that's for sure."

She smiled at him. "No problem. We're almost at the school, so if you two want to change, I'll leave until you're done."

Ron nodded and Hermione got to her feet, taking Crookshanks with her as she exited the compartment.

The curtains were drawn and the two of them sorted out their clothing, deciding on which robes to wear for the feast. Well, more like trying to decide which ones weren't wrinkled for the feast. Ron reached into his bag and pulled out a ball of clothing that Harry laughed at.

"If you can't fold, Harry," Ron said with a grin. "I sure can't."

Harry pulled off his shirt and started putting on the white uniformed one which would later be covered by a tie and vest. It was cool in the compartment without the warmth of his hand-me-down shirt from Dudley. For all the volume they had, they sure were warmer than the dress shirts that the school required they wear.

Ron took the cleanest looking uniform and started to pull it on. There were still wrinkles in it. He shrugged as he pulled the tie around the collar.

"Hermione can do a straightening spell on it or something. You know she has this thing for making us look presentable."

Harry nodded as he pulled on the starchy pants, buckling the belt. He threw his old pants onto the seat.

It was a minute or two before they were completely dressed. Ron pulled out his wand from his old pants and tucked it into his robes where a custom-made pocket had been stitched. Seeing this, Harry remembered his own wand as well.

"Oh yeah - I forgot my wand in my -"

He reached over to the crumpled pants and felt in the pockets for the twig-like wand. First the right pocket. Nothing. Then the left pocket. Still, nothing.

What? Where was his wand? He began crumpling the pants to feel for the wand somewhere. It had to be in his pants. That was where he had put it when he had left the Dursley's house. He had felt it there too when they were in King's Cross.

Ron noticed how upset Harry looked and commented.

"What's the matter?"

Harry was getting anxious now.

"My wand! It's gone!"

Ron stepped over to him and started helping him look for it in the pile of old clothing. He too felt nothing. No wand.

"Maybe it fell on the ground or something."

Harry watched as Ron felt around the floor under the seats for it. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He'd lost his wand before at the Quidditch World Cup, and that hadn't been a good thing. The Ministry had been convinced that he had conjured the Dark Mark of the Death Eaters. Which was totally ludicrous at the time, but…

"Nothing?" he asked as Ron stood up.

Ron shook his head. "It's not here, mate."

"No…that can't be…" He got onto his hands and knees now to search for the wand. The floor was bare.

Hermione stepped into the disarrayed compartment with Crookshanks and her robes on neatly. She laughed for a second at Harry.

"What're you doing? You look like my grandmother when she's dropped her false teeth!"

Harry sat up on his knees and Hermione caught the stress in his features and immediately became concerned. "What's going on?"

"I lost my wand…" Harry said, feeling more helpless than ever.

"No - you couldn't have." Hermione tried to reassure him, but it didn't work.

"Really, Hermione. It's not here." Ron started. "I even looked."

"Well, did you put it in a suitcase or something?"

"No." Harry replied flatly.

But it appeared Hermione had a solution to their problem. She took out a piece of parchment and started writing on it.

"What're you doing?" Ron asked.

"Writing to Lupin. He's the one you two came to the station with, right?"

"Yeah."

Signing it, she folded the letter and held it in her palm. Taking out her own wand, she started circling the tip of it around the top of the parchment. Tiny sparkles of silver light appeared as she muttered something and the letter disappeared in seconds.

"Wha - what did you just do?" Ron asked as he gathered his clothing up and shoved it back into the suitcase.

"I sent the letter to Lupin."

"Without an owl?"

Hermione smiled.

"Dumbledore showed me how. He invented a new way to send letters so that they can't be traced. Lupin should reply any minute. No doubt he knows how to do the same."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Hermione - you never cease to amaze me."

She smiled at him as she sat down on the seat, stroking Crookshanks.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. We'll have your wand back in no time."

After having said this, a loud snap echoed through the compartment and the same parchment that Hermione had sent landed flat on the floor between all of them. Harry leaned down and picked it up, feeling the heat emanating off of it. Glancing at each of his friends, he opened the parchment.

Lupin's neat scrawl covered the bottom of the page. Harry read out loud.

"_Don't worry, I'll meet you three at Hogsmeade Station. Harry's wand can't have gone far. Perhaps he lost it in his things. I'll have a search of the train when they arrive and all the students have left. I await your arrival. Sincerely, R. J. Lupin._"

Hermione smiled.

"See? It'll all be sorted out when we arrive. Sit back and relax, Harry."

Harry tried, but he couldn't help but feel as though the wand wasn't lost on the train. But he did as Hermione advised and returned to staring out the window at the dark rain and passing foliage. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps the wand was still on the train.

He prayed she was right.


	3. Smallville

Chapter Three:

SMALLVILLE

It was around 12:00 when the doorbell rang at the Luthor mansion, waking Lex from a nightmare. He had been dreaming once again about his stay in Belle Reeve. He was minding his own business in the art room when some thug out of nowhere – completely crazy – grabbed him by the throat and twisted his body around. The breath emanating out of the man's throat was putrid, reminiscent of rotting animal flesh. Clouds of green seemed to rise out of nowhere.

Fire burned in the man's eyes as he breathed down Lex's neck like a vampire preparing to sink its teeth into the soft flesh. A growl about money was heard, but was almost unintelligible. Then, the pain ensued. Starting at the nape of his neck where his jaw connected with his skull the man began to squeeze. It was as though his body were in a vice.

A cry threatened to escape from his lips, but the air was being cut off from his throat. He couldn't breathe.

Then, the bell rang.

The harsh monochromatic color scheme of the penitentiary seemed to cross-dissolve into the warm tones of Lex's bedroom. Thunder clapped outside, sending shots of light across the walls from the stained glass that surrounded him.

Sweat covered his body all over and he felt his clothing sticking. Droplets dripped down his forehead and into his eyes, and he had to wipe them away to keep the saltiness from temporarily blinding him.

The bell again, echoing through the mansion. Someone would get it for him, he knew that was certain. It may have appeared that he was alone, but in truth he was never alone. He couldn't allow that. With his father out of prison, he had security around the mansion 24-7. Paranoid as it looked, he found comfort in all the effort. And the company wasn't bad either.

It wasn't long before the butler – one of many – stepped into the room and made his announcement meekly.

"Sir," he said, looking around at the darkness of the room. "There is a Clark Kent downstairs waiting to see you."

Lex ran his hand over his head, trying to rid it of as much of the sweat as he could, and nodded.

"Please send him up."

The butler hesitated.

"Uh…Sir, he's not well dressed –"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The butler went on.

"What I mean to say is, he's not very clean."

Lex sighed.

"Don't worry about it. Just show him up here. I don't really want to promenade downstairs in my boxers, if that's alright with you."

The butler nodded and turned to fetch Clark. Lex busied himself with the ornate wardrobe that sat against the wall, searching for something to wear that would at least cover him up. He had to admit it would be a little uncomfortable to talk to Clark in just his boxers that were already wet with his perspiration.

Tugging a deep royal blue robe off one of the hangers, he swung it around his back and shrugged into it. He had just enough time to tie the belt together before he heard someone coming down the hallway.

Turning to the door, Lex saw that Clark was standing just outside. The lights in the corridor had been lit and he could see that Clark was covered from the chest down in mud. His flannel shirt covered by his tan jacket he wore so often was practically dripping with the soupy mud, melting all over the floor like a snow man. Clark's hair was matted to his forehead and his face was dripping wet with the rain that was making the outdoors appear horrendous.

"Clark…" Lex started as he took a few steps towards his sopping friend.

"Lex, I'm really sorry to bother you right now," Clark started as he looked at the mess he was making and had no doubt trailed down the hallway and the grand stairs. "But, the truck broke down. It's just outside. I saw some lights on and thought it wasn't too late…"

Lex had to smile. The thought of the bravest kid he knew being stuck in the mud with his father's red truck was amusing.

"Don't worry about it, Clark," he said as he returned to his wardrobe. Pulling it open, he took out a purple robe and folded it in his hands. "You look terrible."

"I _feel_ terrible," Clark said with a grin despite his position.

"Wanna crash here for now?"

Clark shrugged.

"I guess. Don't think the Porsche would make it through the mud out there either. Or a limo…"

Lex looked up, amused at Clark's ramblings. Clark caught his gaze and looked to the floor, milky with the mud.

"…That is, if you have one."

Lex chuckled.

"Yeah, I have one. Here."

He handed Clark the folded bathrobe and watched as the boy – only a few years younger than him – unfolded it and let it hang down to his feet. Observation was a key thing with Clark. If you gave him something, especially if you were Lex Luthor, he would inspect it as if there were something wrong with it.

"Don't worry, it's not bugged or anything." Lex said as he clicked on the light to his bedroom, lighting the miniature chandelier in the center.

Clark started, shaking his head as he took off his jacket.

"I wasn't thinking that at all…" he lied uselessly.

"Sure, Clark. Wanna change?"

Clark nodded, shivering now with the cold. The water had apparently soaked all the way through his clothing now.

"A change would be nice."

"How about a shower too. You're pretty…gritty."

"Shower…sounds good. Yeah."

Lex nodded.

"Okay then. Follow me to the bathroom." He started leading the way down the corridor. Clark still seemed concerned over all the mud he was tracking, but Lex stopped him. "Don't worry about the mud. My _servants_ will clean it up within the hour."

He stopped them before a large oak door and grinned at Clark.

"That's what I pay them for, right?"

Clark smiled back.

"I guess."

Lex laughed.

"You amuse me, Clark. How'd you get so muddy? All my driveways are paved, you know that?"

Clark shifted his gaze to the robe he was wringing in his hands.

"Well, I kind of had to…walk through the woods to get here."

"So you were on the back road?"

Clark looked as though he was considering this for a split second, then seemed to snap back to then and there. "Yeah. Yeah – the back road. It's really crappy. All washed out and everything. Wish they'd tarred it over like they did the others. It would have helped. I think that's why I went off the road in the first place."

Lex nodded and turned the large brass handle on the door, pushing it open easily. It creaked a little as it swung wide, Lex stepping inside the darkness to feel around for the light switch.

"Man…know it's here somewhere…" he muttered as Clark just stood there solemnly.

Suddenly a click was heard and the room was flooded with a soft light. The light revealed a large circular bath in the center of the room with curved glass walls surrounding for privacy. A large vanity was set off to the side before one of the stained glass windows and a large showerhead hung suspended in the middle of the ceiling above the bath. It was like something out of a feature film. Floors were tiled in a soft brown and patterns raced along in branches, seeming to lead the way.

"Well, here we are." Lex said as he walked over to the faucet and turned it on. He ran his hands under the warm water before splashing some of it up to his face. Clark stood uneasily outside the room. Lex noticed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"You can come in, Clark. It's a bathroom…you know. Made to be dirty."

Clark seemed to start again as he stepped into the room, his footsteps echoing off the walls. The ceiling was high. Like a cathedral more than a bathroom. He marveled at everything. Even _he'd _never seen anything like this, and he'd spent the night at the mansion before.

Stepping around the circular glass walls surrounding the bath, Clark hid himself behind the rippled glass as he started to undress, preparing to wash the mud from himself. Lex listened as Clark – his voice muffled from behind the curved glass wall – started conversation.

"Did I wake you?"

Lex grinned.

"Yeah."

"Sorry." Clark apologized as he pulled off his shirt and hung it over the top of one of the shower doors.

"Naw, don't worry about it, Clark," Lex said as he watched the dark shadow of Clark undressing. "I'm actually glad you woke me. I was…I was having a nightmare."

"Again?" Clark stated more than asked as he looked around the shower. "Was it the same one as before?"

Lex nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

Clark started to take off his belt behind the glass and kicked off his mud-encrusted boots.

"You should go to see someone about that. Maybe there's a way they can stop it from happening…"

"I'm really not too worried about it, Clark," Lex said as he turned to face his friend's fuzzed image, leaning against the vanity. "Dreams are nothing. Just figments of your subconscious. I thought you took Psychology."

Clark nodded as he pulled open one of the sliding doors. It moved easily and he stepped into the tub.

"I did. Doesn't mean I learned anything though."

Lex chuckled.

"You want me to get out or something? I understand if you're uncomfortable –"

"No, don't leave," Clark said as he turned on the faucet, letting the water run under his hand a minute or two. "I'm actually kind of scared to be here alone…"

Lex nodded.

"I know the feeling. I usually have someone wait outside the door until I come out. I don't feel that safe with my father running loose."

Clark made an agreeing sound and pulled the lever to start the shower. It was positioned directly overhead to make it feel like a warm rain. Lex enjoyed that over the awful tilted ones that blasted him in the face.

"You looked pretty upset when I walked in," Clark's voice came over the din of the splashing water. "Looked wet. Were you sweating or something?"

Lex smiled. Leave it to Clark to point out the obvious. He didn't like the greasy look that the perspiration gave him, especially with his lack of hair.

"Yeah. I guess I tend to do that when I have nightmares. I never noticed it before…until now."

"Until I pointed it out, you mean."

"Yeah…yeah, right."

Lex didn't see it, but he knew that Clark was grinning behind the shower doors. The light sounds of the sprinkling water turned louder and deeper as the water hit Clark's body, collecting in streams as they splattered against the porcelain of the bathtub. Lex folded his arms as he looked around. He hadn't been in the bathroom for a while. He preferred the one on the third floor. People didn't really go up there, and it was uncommon for people to even know that there _was_ a third floor – fully usable. Another safety precaution – of course.

"So," Clark's voice floated out of the shower with the mist the hot water was making. "I thought you were supposed to be in England for a while."

Lex smiled.

"Yeah. Something came up last minute."

"Really? I was shocked when Mom told me you were back. You couldn't stop talking about the business deal you were going to make."

This still rang in Lex's mind. The deal he had given up for something so… He couldn't come up with the words yet. Pointless, perhaps. Nobody knew why he was back. Nobody, except Clark, if he decided to ask. Lex didn't keep secrets from Clark any more. After he had almost lost Clark's friendship when Clark found the secret study where artifacts and videos were stored about the young boy and his…partiality to the unnatural, he vowed he would never keep secrets from his best friend again.

Clark, now having washed away all the mud from his body, turned the faucet off and reached around the shower door to grab his bathrobe. Lex waited as the boy – unfamiliar with anything other than farmer's clothes and cheap outfits – shrugged into the silk garment. Stepping out of the shower, it appeared the two had melted together. The robe fit Clark perfectly, almost as well as Lex's fit him. He always took pride in how his clothing was tailored to fit him. Clark was almost the same size as him.

Grinning, Clark brushed his wet hair back and sighed.

"Good to have all that mud off," he said as he took a few steps towards Lex. Lex nodded. He hated being dirty as well.

"If you'll follow me back to the room, I can find you something to wear. And you probably want to spend the night or something. It's really bad outside, from what I hear."

The rain was pounding in torrents at the imported glass windows Lionel had painstakingly reassembled for the castle in Kansas. Clark nodded and followed Lex out of the bathroom, turning off the light as he went, and down the now clean hallway towards Lex's bedroom.

The room was nice and warm now, even Lex noticed. Walking over to the wardrobe he had first taken out the robes from, he brushed aside all the night garments to reveal a back row of casual wear that Clark had never seen before. T-shirts and khaki pants that Clark would have never expected Lex to wear filled the wardrobe. As Lex pulled a set of clothes out for Clark, he grinned.

"What? You think I wear thousand-dollar tuxedos all the time?"

He tossed the clothing to Clark as he chuckled. Clark only saw one side of Lex outside the mansion. The business-like and formal man. It was almost unfathomable to see Lex as an ordinary person. He was always doing business jobs and trying to run a factory and experimental plant.

Clark shrugged as he unfolded the clothes. They seemed normal enough – nothing _he_ had ever worn before. He usually stuck to jeans and a plain T-shirt. Nothing too formal for him. He knew his family couldn't afford to buy him an expensive wardrobe.

"They should fit," Lex said as he selected an outfit for himself and tossed it onto the bed. "Look, I'll be right back. I have to go check on something downstairs."

And with that, he exited the room, leaving Clark to change and completely alone on the second floor of the mansion.

It was really quiet while Lex was away. Nothing but the sound of the rain could be heard as Clark pulled on the clothing that Lex had provided. They were surprisingly soft and comfortable. The shirt was made of wonderful cotton and the pants were not too tight, but not too baggy. Everything seemed to fit perfectly.

Once dressed, Clark found himself curious about the mansion. It had been a little while since Lex had left the room and Clark was beginning to wonder where he had gone. Clark had never really stayed in the Luthor mansion before – except for brief visits. Lex had never invited him to spend the night. He wasn't sure if this time it was because he wanted company or because the weather really wasn't good to be out in. But, Clark told himself that he could easily get himself home with his super-speed ability.

Impatient, Clark started out into the hallway and towards the stairs.

The mansion was enormous! Clark was a tall guy, and even _he _couldn't reach the ceiling! The floor was padded with a soft carpet and his bare feet were thankful for that. A cold floor was the last thing he wanted to feel.

After peeking into a few of the open doors along the corridor, Clark spotted one door at the very end that was open, a green light coming out of it. At first his mind jumped to the conclusion that it was probably some Kryptonite or some other version of the deadly rock, so he decided to stay clear. But, peering into the room, he noticed that there was no meteor rock to be found. The green light was coming from a halogen lamp suspended from the ceiling. It was so dark in the room that the light actually made a beam, pointing down at a circular table.

Stepping into the room, Clark got a better look at what was on the table. It was something that appeared to be sticking straight out of the table's surface. On closer inspection, Clark saw that it looked like a fine twig.

Despite the fact that his father had advised him to stem his curiosity when he was at Lex's, Clark couldn't help but reach out to touch the twig. It looked simple enough. Perhaps that was why Clark was so intrigued. The objects that frequented the mansion and Luthorcorp were usually cold and metallic, and on many occasions, of Kryptonite origin. But this was just a stick. Which led Clark's mind to flood with questions he wanted answered. _What was it? Why was Lex keeping it in the mansion – under green light too?_

Just moments before his fingers grazed the stick, a voice made him jump back and spin around abruptly.

"What are you doing in here?" Lex stated more than asked as he strode confidently towards the table where the object was, causing Clark to move back towards the doorway.

"I – I'm sorry, Lex," he stammered, though he didn't know why. He could easily speed out of the mansion, or even crush Lex if the situation arose. But, the thought of hurting Lex made him queasy, so he shook it from his thoughts.

"You're not allowed in any of the rooms unless I tell you they are acceptable. Is that understood?"

Clark nodded, feeling intimidated under the fierce glare Lex was sending his way. But, he quickly got over it as Lex seemed to admire the object, running his hand up and down it as though making sure it was really there and not just an illusion.

"What is that…that…_thing_ anyway?"

Lex seemed to stop what he was doing and turned to face Clark.

"Just an artifact I found on my trip to London."

Clark watched as Lex walked back towards him, leading him out of the room. "Looks like a harmless twig," he started as Lex closed the door and took out a silver key from his pocket. The key head had what appeared to be a button on it, and Lex put his fingertip over the button. Clark thought he saw a blue light emanate from beneath the finger before Lex slid the key into the lock, turning it until a loud click was heard.

"Yeah, well, that's what people would want you to think," Lex said mysteriously, and it took Clark a minute to realize that that was an answer to his sentence.

"It's not a twig?"

Lex smiled something that was a bit chilling to Clark.

"Clark, put it off your mind. Don't even worry about it."

"I _do_ worry, Lex," he retorted as they started down the stairs. "Remember the last time you brought an artifact into the mansion?"

Lex sighed as he stopped, halfway down the richly carpeted staircase. He turned to Clark, staring him in the eyes with such a serious look that if it were something solid, it could have sliced through the air.

"Clark, I'm taking every precaution. It's just a harmless artifact. You know – a stick from some guy's tomb."

"_Some guy's_ tomb? Lex, you're being too casual here. I know you."

"Clark! Put it out of your mind, for the last time."

Lex hurried down the stairs, leaving Clark to follow. There was something going on, and Clark knew it. He'd easily find out what it was – with his abilities handy. But, he decided not this night when Lex was on edge. Perhaps in the morning or the next afternoon. Either way, he knew he was going to find out what the big deal was with the twig. Perhaps it was laced with Kryptonite – something that wasn't at all unthinkable. Clark had seen people inject Kryptonite; drink Kryptonite and even _liquidize _Kryptonite and blast it into the air as a gas! That had been one of his least favorite days in Smallville. He almost lost everyone he knew that day. Thank God it didn't happen.

Clark was surprised at how fast Lex was going down the corridor. He had to sprint to catch up to the guy. Lex seemed a little upset. Clark hoped it wasn't too deep. He hated it when people were angry with him.

"Lex, I'm sorry, okay?"

Lex stopped at a doorway and opened it, revealing a guestroom.

"Don't worry about it, Clark. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself."

Clark didn't know what to make of this, but took it as a forgive and forget. Lex showed him into the room.

"You can stay here for the night. There's a bathroom down the hall and the plasma television is in that closet. Push the red button on the remote to open it. I've got some work to go over."

He turned to leave, but stopped as though having second thoughts. Then, he said over his shoulder, "If you need me, I'll be in my study on the second floor."

Then he left Clark alone. It would be hard to fall asleep this night.


	4. Hogsmeade

Chapter Four:

HOGSMEADE

_This chapter is for Katherine._

_-superguy_

Harry saw Remus Lupin standing on the stone platform of Hogsmeade Station. Billowing clouds of steam erupted from the pistons, covering the wheels and tracks, sending a light wind across the platform. Lupin stood sternly as his robes billowed back in the wind – the only fluid thing about his figure. An instant feeling of dread sunk into Harry's stomach as the train slowed to a stop. If there was one thing he hated more it was having someone upset with him. Seeing the stone expression on Lupin's face told him Lupin wasn't happy.

"Doesn't look too good," Ron muttered as he scooped up his wrappers and excess candy. He had collected enough to fill all the pockets in his robes and his hands were still clutching a stack of licorice wands. One in particular with green apple liquid filling was Harry's favorite. But the distinct shape of the licorice sent the hordes of butterflies back to his stomach and he took them from Ron who began to protest.

"I'm not going to eat them, Ron," he said with a grin; Ron had been flapping his arms around in exasperation. Ron's anxiety subsided as Harry slid the wands in his pocket. "I don't want Lupin to think I'm taking this lightly."

Ron's eyes flashed a look of understanding, and he nodded.

"Sure thing," he muttered as Hermione came back into the compartment, her enormously fluffy cat Crookshanks in her arms. She looked a bit distressed – a visual of Harry's insides

"Lupin's speaking to the conductor now. Wants to make sure everyone's out before he searches."

Harry nodded. He hoped that whatever Lupin planned to do would locate his wand. He felt almost nakedly vulnerable without its reassuring weight in his robes.

Before long, the soft fumbling of engines eclipsed the sound of the bustling students. Even that silence didn't last for long because the soft noise of shoes padding along the carpeted corridor floated into Harry's compartment and Lupin stepped into the doorway. His longer hair was messy from his walk around the long train. He smiled, though Harry knew that this was just a front to make him feel better.

"Hello, Harry. Ron, Hermione," he started as he glanced around the compartment. "Was it a nice trip?"

Harry watched as he took out a long wand from the depths of his robes and tapped the tip of it on his outstretched palm. Tiny green sparkles erupted out of the wand tip and Lupin raised the wand over his head.

"What're you doing?" Harry asked as he watched the green sparkles shower the compartment.

"Skewering the immediate vicinity." Lupin muttered as the glittering balls of light landed on the floor and the seats. Harry watched in awe as the tiny beads of light built into large golf-ball sized lights and raced along the surfaces. The lights reflected off Harry's glasses as they traced the objects within the room.

"Don't worry, Harry," the wise wizard smiled. "Your wand can't be far."

"I hope not." Harry muttered to himself and Ron gave him a pat on the back, but this only unsettled anxiousness deep in Harry's stomach.

Suddenly all the lights dissolved into a blue mist and dissipated into the air.

"It's not here." Lupin muttered as he took one last look around. "All right, please follow me outside."

With that said, the group made its way down the corridor towards an exit

"So it's lost?" Harry asked hurriedly as he tried to keep pace with Lupin. Lupin waved his wand and more sparkles of light showered the floor before them, racing ahead.

"Because it wasn't in the compartment doesn't mean it's not on the train." Lupin said calmly.

Briskly, they all stepped off the train and onto the platform of Hogsmeade Station. Thick clouds created a blanket over the moon. The only lights were those of the windows twinkling merrily as shop owners closed for the night.

As if he did it all the time, Lupin waved the tip of his wand in circles over his palm and a beam of light shot out of it. Slowly, the beam of light flattened into a sheet from which a 3-Dimensional map rose. Harry could see the Hogwarts Express as well as it's interior. The settings seemed to be constructed of a grid work that Harry had once seen on some blueprints Uncle Vernon had left on the kitchen table.

Small pulsating dots like on sonar blipped within the map, and Harry took it that those were all the wands aboard.

"Intensify." Lupin muttered and the map seemed to erupt, getting large. Tiny details became more visible. Harry could see individual compartments now and tiny suitcases with objects inside.

"Magnify." Lupin pronounced, and tiny words in a glittering, flowery script scrolled across the miniscule packages. Harry caught glimpses of names and descriptions of objects. "Here we go, Harry," Lupin smiled as he watched the map. Then, as precisely as he could, stated, "Please locate Harry James Potter's wand."

Directly after saying this, the map turned into a gigantic blur. It was a good thing Harry wasn't prone to motion sickness because if he were he would have been on the ground. In about thirty seconds, the wand-map had zoomed through every car on the train.

"Any second now…" Lupin said as they all waited.

The map concentrated into a ball of light that quickly separated into three words in the glowing, flowery script: WAND NOT FOUND.

"Wait – it's not aboard?"

Lupin shook his head.

"I'm afraid not."

Hermione and Ron both looked at each other. They had been sure the wand was just misplaced on the train

"So… now what're we going to do?" Harry asked.

"Well, we can't have you very well walk into school without your wand, can we?"

Harry shook his head.

"So, hold out your hand, please."

Harry hesitated for a moment, then slowly held out his hand, opening his palm. Was Lupin going to strike him?

But before more thoughts of that nature popped into his mind, Harry saw that Lupin had caused a scrolling marquee of information to rise out of his hand. Everything on it was tinted in blue. Harry watched as information he didn't even know could be retrieved scrolled past for Lupin to read. One thing in particular was something he was thinking precisely at that moment. The words, _what in the world is going on…_ scrolled past, and Harry blushed.

"Not to worry, Harry," Lupin muttered with a smile. "This is all completely normal. I won't let all your thoughts get to Ron and Hermione."

Ron made a mock look of disappointment to try to make Harry feel better.

Then, Lupin spoke to the wand once again.

"Please trace Harry James Potter's wand from Hogwarts School."

All of a sudden the words melted into a map and tiny structures that looked like they belonged on a Muggle board game appeared. Harry immediately recognized Hogwarts and Hogsmeade Station. A line was being drawn across the map from there. Harry watched as it passed Kings Cross Station and continued towards the ocean.

"Well, your wand got a long way," Lupin said with a grin. Harry was having trouble figuring out if he was actually amused or pretending. The line shot over the Atlantic Ocean and towards the United States.

"My wand is in the U.S.?"

Lupin shrugged.

"That's what your map is telling me. Do you have any idea how it got there?"

Harry shook his head and watched as the line zoomed to a place somewhere over Kansas.

"Please specify exact location," Lupin said to the wand and the tiny script once again appeared.

The words appeared in a rush.

_SMALLVILLE, KANSAS._

"Please specify exact building."

_THE LUTHOR MANSION._

Lupin nodded.

"Well, we know where your wand is, Harry."

Harry was in a state of shock. How in the world did his wand get all the way to the United States in less than a day?

"How am I going to get it back?" he asked almost as a rhetorical question. But Lupin answered it immediately.

"We're going to have to go and retrieve it ourselves."


	5. Investigative Reporting

Chapter Five:

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

_This chapter is for Mark. Yeah, I'm dedicating one to you. Get over it._

It was heated voices that woke Clark the following morning. He had been enjoying pleasant dreams – something that he lacked lately – concerning issues about dealing with his biological father, Jor-El. In his dreams, he could physically see his father, something that he had never been granted the pleasure of before. Thoughts plagued him, subconsciously of course, like _What does my father want from me?_, when the sound of Lex's raised voice snapped his eyes open.

He remembered where he was now. The room was enormous – big enough for at least two people to share comfortably. Three windows stood in a row allowing the sunlight to stream in through the parted curtains and flood the floor with pools of bright hardwood. An oval carpet stood beneath the bed Clark was in, positioned in the center of the room. If it weren't for that carpet, Clark was sure that his bare feet would have felt the hint of cold as he stepped down. It was a passing comfort to sleep at Lex's, but now he had to get going. But, firstly, Clark wanted to hear what was being said so heatedly in the corridor outside his room.

"I don't give a shit what you do, just make sure that no one gets into that room," Lex's voice challenged deeply. Clark knew his friend long enough to tell when he was being serious, and when his voice went lower, he knew. Something was going on.

Clark's ears pricked up as he used his abilities to drop in on the conversation. Another voice, that of a man whom Clark didn't recognize, replied.

"Mr. Luthor, we're doing everything that we can."

"I'm sure," Lex shot back sarcastically.

"If you don't mind my saying, sir, how were we supposed to know that you'd invite strangers into the mansion last evening?"

There was a sound like that of Lex 'hmph'ing, and if Clark had to guess, he was fixing his collar or whatever he was wearing.

"Clark is not a stranger. He's a good friend of mine."

"I'm sure," the man shot back, and it must have killed Lex to hear his own retorts used against him. But, the man didn't give Lex a chance to cut in. "Mr. Luthor, put some trust in me. I'm the head of your security team. We can guarantee that your _treasure_ is safe from anyone outside the mansion, but we can't stop people from getting into your things when they're welcomed into your home. I would suggest highly that you lock this thing in a safe. If it's _that _important to you."

Footsteps leaving the hallway.

Lex's voice cut in, a little late to retort.

"You might want to watch what you say to me in the future."

The footsteps stopped and there was a piercing silence before the other man replied, "I'm only acting with the best intentions. If you think I want a twig, why would I go through all the trouble of stealing yours when there's woods in my back yard?"

A sudden vibration on the bedside table made Clark jump and the sounds of mechanics inside his cell phone invaded his ears. One of the only setbacks to having a cell phone was the chance that it would go off when he was using his advanced hearing. Luckily he couldn't lose his ears.

Flipping open the phone, Clark read that the number was coming from Chloe. A smile came to his face as he pressed the call button. Leave it to Chloe to call at the oddest hours.

"Hello?" Clark started, walking over to the wardrobe to see what was available to wear. Lex hadn't returned his dirty clothing, so he'd have to make do with whatever Lex had provided. Unless Lex was comfortable with Clark walking around in his boxers, which Clark was not.

"Clark – thank goodness. I thought I was going to have to search all over for you."

Chloe sounded like herself.

"What's up?" Clark grinned as he pulled another robe, this one a red silk one, off the hanger. He sized it up, then judged it alright to wear. He and Lex weren't exactly the same size. He was lucky that the towel robes last night were larger than normal because if they weren't, he would've ripped the chest.

"I stopped by the farm, but your mother said you didn't come home last night."

"Yeah, the truck got stuck on the back road. I wasn't far from Lex's, so I walked over."

Chloe sounded incredulous.

"In all that rain? Clark, what are you made of, steel? I couldn't even walk onto my front porch without being pelted with the downfall. Oh, I see how it is." Clark grinned as he listened on, Chloe's voice becoming rank with taunt. "You were probably just using that as an excuse to see Lex."

"What are you insinuating, Chloe?" Clark toyed back. He knew this was coming.

"A _sleepover_, huh?"

Clark chuckled.

"Chloe, it wasn't like that."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't." It was always Chloe's way to kid around with him about anything to do with Lex. "I know you two are like crossed fingers. Hey – all the best to ya."

"Come on, now, Chloe." Clark laughed. "Seriously, though. It was really strange last night."

"Do tell." Chloe urged him on, and Clark went into detail.

"You'd think I would know Lex's house by now, since I've been over so much. But, after talking with him, he led me to where I could stay. I spotted this thing – I'm not even really sure what it was, actually."

"You mean like a relic or something that Lex would collect?"

"No," Clark went on, "not like that. It was just...weird. It looked kind of like a twig."

Chloe snorted into the phone.

"A _twig_? Oh, Clark. What a great description."

Clark could hear the sound of her car in the background.

"No, seriously, Chloe. That's what it looked like! I'm not trying to be funny or anything. It was under this green light. You know, like some stupid _Star Trek_ laser beam? That's what it looked like. When I asked him about it, he told me it was just nothing and I shouldn't worry about it."

"Then, don't worry about it." Chloe said with a hint of finality in her tone. Clark was about to protest, but Chloe went on steadily. "Take it from me, Clark. Some people will kill to get the Luthor's off their backs. Be glad that you aren't on his number one stalk list. He said not to worry about it, so don't. Prying, in some cases, however literary and full of justice, isn't always the answer." The sound of the gear shift was heard, and Chloe honked her horn. "Learn to drive! This is Smallville – not Boston!"

Clark laughed.

"You liked that, huh?" Chloe remarked. The tone in her voice revealed that she was grinning, and Clark found it contagious.

The door to Clark's room opened suddenly and he was caught by Lex. The man was alone and Clark was glad. He didn't feel like being interrogated by anyone, especially since he was choosing Chloe's advice to stay off the topic. Thankfully Clark was fully clothed. Lex noticed the phone in Clark's hand and stopped his stride, making a motion that showed that he would give Clark time to wrap up his conversation.

"Hey, listen, Chloe. Lex just walked in. I gotta get going."

"Oh – hang on a second, Clark!" Chloe cut in viciously. "I'm on my way over there as we speak. I'll be there to pick you up in like fifteen minutes. Be ready."

"Be ready for what?"

But Chloe had already hung up and the phone was dead in his palm.

Lex was wearing his formal suit and purple silk dress shirt. It was a common Lex outfit. Everything was tailored down to the tiniest detail, and Clark could tell. Lex smiled and leaned against the chest of drawers.

"Talking to Chloe?"

Clark pocketed the cell phone and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah."

There was a douse of silence before Lex started again. His eyes were searching Clark's, almost like scanners, searching for something that Clark prayed wasn't there. Would he suspect that he knew something about the twig? What was he thinking, anyway? That's all it had been – a twig. Why worry about it and make it appear that he knew more than he didn't?

"I'm sorry to be such a bad host, but, I've got to ask that you leave as soon as you can. I've just received a phone call from a financial partner, and things aren't looking good at the lab. The chopper will be here to fly me to Metropolis in ten minutes."

Clark walked to the bed and started tidying up a bit. He made sure not to make eye contact with Lex.

"I'm sorry to hear it." He began. "It would have been cool to hang out, you know?"

He didn't look up to see Lex's reaction, but continued straightening the bed anyway.

"Oh well. Chloe's on her way over anyway to pick me up. I'll just drive the truck back to the farm."

"Don't bother." Lex added. "I had someone pull it out and return it to your parent's farm. It was really stuck in the mud. They had to take shovels to the tires to get it out." He looked out the window for a moment, then went on. "Doesn't surprise me. With all the weather we've been getting. It's freak, really. I thought it was supposed to be the beginning of September. Crisp leaves and all that. Rain should usually be saved for April. At least in my opinion. Maybe I'll have a device created to stop the rain."

This last remark caused Clark to look up.

"Can you really do that?"

Lex laughed.

"I'm rich, Clark, but that doesn't mean I can fool Mother Nature. Maybe in fifty years I could make something, but I don't think technology is mature enough for some of the things I've got planned."

"I'm surprised you haven't run for president yet," Clark joked. This got a rise out of Lex.

"I don't like politics, Clark. You won't see me running for president. Not in a million years. He doesn't really do anything, does he?"

"Signs the papers."

"Exactly. And I always saw myself being more than a secretary, signing my life away. How do you think I got where I am today?"

Clark knew how Lex had came to become a corporate leader. It was mostly because he'd fought with his father, Lionel, and competed with what little he was granted.

"I know." Clark replied. He was done tidying up, and he now walked towards Lex. "Are my clothes dry yet?"

Lex smiled, faintly. If Clark didn't know any better, he would've thought Lex liked the idea of having Clark's clothes in his hands.

"Yeah. They were cleaned before you woke up. I'll have someone bring them up to you. And don't worry. I didn't put any bugs in them or anything."

Clark chuckled. Sometimes he didn't know about Lex. What if he really put something in his shirt's lining and then Clark was having everything he said recorded? Just to be on the safe side, he knew already in his head that he was going to scan the articles with his x-ray vision before putting them on.

The alarm on Lex's watch sounded and he glanced down at it flippantly.

"Anyway, Clark, I've got to get going. Perhaps we can finish our date some other time when I'm not busy."

Clark nodded and watched as Lex turned and left the room.

(Cut Line)

Chloe walked briskly up the paved driveway of the Luthor Mansion, purse over one shoulder and a spiral notebook clutched to her body beneath her other arm. It was still chilly out, and after the rain the previous evening, she wasn't surprised. Smallville was home to some of the freakier sides of weather, but torrential rain didn't seem like one of them. At least, not in Chloe's memory anyway.

The mansion loomed over her as she came closer to the entrance. Large oak doors with stained glass windows beckoning Lex to come home and relax. It didn't seem like that was really what the millionaire friend of Clark did in the home, but that wasn't really any of Chloe's business. If she did, in fact, get something that slipped out of Lex's vocabulary, she would jump at the opportunity to use the notebook under her arm. One of the windows was decorated with a design looking like something ripped out of Homer's _The Iliad_, sporting the two gods Zeus and Helen. A thought came to Chloe's mind that was quite amusing. In some ways, she thought of Lex as a sort of Zeus character. Always throwing daggers of lightning down at the world when things didn't go his way. It brought a smile to her lips.

Something caught Chloe's attention just before she started stepping up the stone stairs to the entrance. There was a tree beside the stairs that didn't look like it belonged. All the rest of the trees in the heavily manicured grounds were flush with lambently green leaves. This tree couldn't have been more of a contrast. Its rough bark was the only color that was seen, and no leaves decorated its limbs, nor any flora at all.

"Strange..." Chloe muttered under her breath as she took a step down, walking slowly towards the tree. It wasn't any taller than she was and it was in a pot, surprisingly, unlike the other trees on the grounds that were planted firmly in the turf covered in brilliant grass.

"Yet..."

Chloe reached out and snapped off a twig about the length of her forearm and thin enough to be held in one hand.

"Genius."

(Cut Line)

Clark jumped as the door to his bedroom flew open and Chloe stepped inside.

"Chloe -"

"Not now, Clark, I couldn't care less that you're practically naked in front of me. This is important."

Clark was standing in basically his boxers, one leg inside his pants and his shirt partially covering his torso. He blushed painfully and Chloe couldn't say that she didn't enjoy the situation as she pretended not to be interested. She spun around and waited for him to finish and then shut the door so that they were completely alone.

"Now, Clark, since we're alone. Keep it down. I have a plan."

Clark looked down at his investigative reporter and gave a nervous smile.

"Lex said to forget about it, and so didn't you."

"I know what I said, Clark. Now, come on."

She grabbed his wrist and yanked him towards the door. It felt like something out of a James Bond movie, and the adrenaline was throbbing in Clark's ears. Was she seriously going to do what he thought she was going to do? Knowing Chloe, he wouldn't put it past her. He was looking at the only girl from Smallville high school to sneak into the Luthorcorp building in Metropolis.

They sneaked quickly up the stairs and onto the front patio. Chloe was crouching on her haunches as she went and crept up to one of the large windows. It happened to be the window looking in to the grand living room where Lex was now standing.

Clark shot Chloe a nervous look, but Chloe pressed her index finger to her lips as she listened. Clark knew that she wouldn't be able to hear much through the stone wall of the building, so used his super hearing to listen in on Lex's conversation.

"I want that relic out in the limousine as soon as possible. Nobody would think to take it from me there."

There was a sound of agreement, followed by a, "Yes, Mr. Luthor."

Clark nodded to Chloe, who pressed her ear against the stone of the wall all the more intently, even though she couldn't hear any better.

"He's having the twig brought to the limo," Clark whispered over to her. Chloe gave him a confused look.

"What?" she mouthed silently before creeping away from the wall with Clark. Once they were far enough away, Chloe continued. "How did you hear any of that?"

Clark shrugged, hoping he didn't look like he was faking it too much.

"I was...in a better spot than you."

When Chloe didn't buy this explanation, he quickly continued, "The wall was probably thinner where I was. Come on – are we going to sit here in the bushes all day, or are we going to do something?"

Chloe nodded furiously, brushing her blond hair out of her eyes, and she thought. Clark didn't have to use his x-ray vision to tell that the wheels in her head were turning before Chloe gave a grin of triumph.

"Okay, Clark, listen up. This has to run like clockwork if we want to leave here with anything. You have to go in there and say that you forgot something. While you distract the billionaires, I'll sneak in and replace the real twig with..." She whipped out the fake. "This one!"

Clark couldn't help but smile.

"Chloe sometimes I think you're a genius."

"Not a genius so much as a reporter."


	6. Journey

Chapter Six:

JOURNEY

It took Harry a second to get over what he had just been shown. Minutes earlier Harry had been looking beneath his seat on the Hogwarts Express hoping to find his wand. Now, after Remus Lupin's speedy examination, Harry knew that his wand wasn't in the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't even in the _country_. His wand was in the United States of America. Not only that, but his wand was in a town he'd never even heard of.

"Smallville?" he muttered, watching Lupin stack his baggage on the side of the walkway.

With a quick spell Lupin had the luggage floating in the air and soaring off towards the castle.

"Yes, that's what the tracking spell told me," Lupin replied, turning back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry glanced over and saw that Hermione was pacing back and forth in a nervous manner while Ron just stood off to the side, arms folded across his chest with an uneasy look upon his shadow-streaked face.

"How did Harry's wand make it all the way across the Atlantic?" Hermione asked, staring at the cobblestones.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that question, Hermione," Lupin started. "There could be many explanations - some that even I might not have heard of. At any rate we need to get your wand back, Harry. If your wand is in the hands of someone working for the Dark Lord we may be in deeper trouble than I first thought."

Stepping up beside Harry, Lupin held out his hand, palm up.

"Give me your hand please, Harry."

Harry looked up at Lupin with an unsure feeling in his stomach.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit. It's sort of like apparition, except specifically for overseas travel. Just give me your hand."

Harry felt a nervous twitch in the pit of his stomach. In the past whenever someone in the magical world told Harry to do something without an explanation it usually meant there was some form of pain involved. Harry remembered using a portkey for the first time back in his fourth year at Hogwarts. The feeling of a yank behind his navel was close to unbearable - if only for a few seconds. Lupin seemed to sense Harry's unease and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't be frightened. We'll soon have your wand back. Now give me your hand."

With one final look at Ron and Hermione, Harry reached out his hand and grasped Lupin's tightly. No sooner had he found his grip when Harry felt the ground beneath him dissolve into something between a solid and a liquid. It was almost like standing in paste and Harry felt his feet become cemented to the mush that was now the platform. He was about to ask Lupin what was going on when he felt the mushy ground plummet downwards, and it took Harry and Lupin with it.

It was the oddest sensation Harry had ever experienced. It was as if he and Lupin were burrowing feet-first through the soft ground. The tunnel veered left and right like an awkward elevator and Harry closed his eyes tightly for fear that the dirt would get into them. However when he didn't feel the dirt against any other part of his body besides the soles of his feet he realized there had to be some kind of barrier between his body and the dirt.

Flashes of light met his eyes and Harry had the fleeting feeling that they were travelling through magma or some other form of molten rock before the sight was replaced with the dark and rocky dirt. All together the journey only lasted a matter of thirty seconds before Harry felt the elevator sensation again, except this time he felt it in reverse and saw that he was now moving upwards. The air finally greeted Harry and he took it in gulps, savoring the taste of its fresh crispness. While in the tiny force field it had felt like Harry were breathing stale air. Perhaps it was being magically filtered. Either way, he was thankful to be back above the ground and took in his surroundings.

"Where are we?" he asked as he saw the harsh blue lights and flashing advertisements he had only seen on television when a glimpse of a program was stolen from the Dursley's, usually from the stairs. The building that Harry and Lupin were standing beside cast a deep shadow through the night, across the asphalt littered with bits of paper and trash. Craning his neck, Harry saw that the building was not just a building but a skyscraper that stretched into the night sky like a monolith. What few stars that could be seen through the smog mistaken for clouds reflected on the large windows.

"Metropolis," Lupin replied bluntly.

"Metropolis?" Harry repeated, noticing a page from a newspaper on the sidewalk beneath his feet. The heading did not move like a wizarding paper, but the plain text read _The Daily Planet_ and had a picture of a bald, middle-aged man wearing an expensive suit standing behind a ribbon meant to be cut at the opening of a building or organization. For some reason that man looked familiar to Harry. "But, I thought my wand was in Smallville?"

"It is in Smallville," Lupin answered, "however, the form of travel we just used, called breaching, only works between larger cities. Think of it as a form of travel similar to the Muggle metro. Smallville is a country town, I would expect. With a name like that... But, no matter. We will continue our journey on foot now until we can find a form of transport to take us to Smallville."

Harry followed as Lupin led the way down the street. He felt a bit conspicuous when people started to appear walking down the adjacent street where they were headed. Lupin was still wearing his full fledged wizarding robe and garments and Harry wished he had brought along at least his invisibility cloak. It would have been useful here. A gruff man cloaked in dark clothing and smoking a cigarette gave the two a dark look before passing on behind them.

"Why can't we just apparate to Smallville?" Harry asked, thinking he shouldn't have brought up wizarding terminology around Muggle passersby.

"Because apparition only works when the person apparating can picture the final destination clearly in his or her mind. I have never been to Smallville, therefore I cannot picture it clearly in my mind."

"Oh..."

Sirens droned in the distance and the sound of a light rain settled over the scene. Harry didn't really feel safe around all the steel and glass. Everything in Metropolis was designed to make money and market products it seemed because at every turn there was another flashing billboard. The one up ahead was a particularly prominent advertisement for a company called Luthorcorp. Tailing the logo of the company came a video showing a man with long, brown hair and a scraggy beard to match sporting another expensive suit. His lips were moving yet Harry could not hear what the man was saying. Perhaps there were speakers somewhere that allowed viewers to hear what the man was saying, but the text that flashed on the screen shortly before Harry turned another corner explained it all: _Working to enrich the Kansas economy - one business at a time_.

There was nothing like this at Hogwarts or anywhere near where Harry lived. It was almost too much to take in at once.

Finally Lupin stopped at a bus stop and Harry took a seat in the Plexiglas sitting area, thankful to be out of the rain. Graffiti was etched into the plastic panes. One in particular that showed nicely in the light and was the largest etching read _C and L forever_ within a large heart. Another one read _I love Ben_. Harry wondered for a brief moment whom these people were before Lupin took his attention once more.

"We will take the bus as far out of this city as we can, and figure out the rest of the journey once we get there."

Harry fixed his cloak a bit tighter across his chest. The air was a bit icy.

"Am I going to be in trouble, Lupin?" Harry asked softly.

"No, you won't be in trouble," Lupin replied. His face looked like it was trying to be warm and friendly as Harry had remembered him in Defense Against the Dark Arts three years previous, yet Harry continued to see what he took as stony harshness in fits through the comforting smiles. "Most people will think it irregular that I had you accompany me to retrieve your wand, but Dumbledore was the one who ordered me here. It's normal for a student to lose their wand and have the Ministry retrieve it. However, now that the Ministry is on hiatus with the new Minster of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, unable to be trusted so early in the term, Dumbledore thought it protocol for me to handle the case myself."

"How did Dumbledore know that I lost my wand?" Harry asked.

"Simple. Did you know that the Hogwarts Express has monitors in its cabins?"

Harry shook his head.

"Monitors? You mean like surveillance cameras?"

"Like in a Muggle mode of transportation, yes. Except these are magical surveillance devices used for the safety of those travelling to Hogwarts. They seemed convenient, especially now with Voldemort on the brink of attack. Ah, here's the bus. Better get ready, Harry."

Harry got to his feet with Lupin and was about to step onto the now stopped metro bus when a hand reached out from behind him and stopped him roughly by the shoulder.

"Got any change, boy?" a scraggy man wearing dirty clothing asked.

Harry tried not to be repulsed and terrified by the man, but Lupin stepped in before anything major happened.

"Move along," Lupin said sternly in a tone Harry had only heard used few times before. "This boy has nothing you want."

The man gave Lupin a cold stare before reaching his hand into his jacket. The bus driver closed the doors to the bus abruptly when a silver object flashed in the lights from the surrounding skyscrapers.

"Put the gun away, sir," Lupin started as the apparently crippled man in dirty clothing straightened his posture and waved the silver gun in front of Harry and Lupin's faces.

"Give me your money." The man waited a second before continuing. "NOW!"

Harry reached into his pockets and felt the cold surface of a few Sickles and Knuts and took them out, holding them towards the man with open palms. He didn't really live in the Muggle world, but he knew enough that a gun was a dangerous weapon and it could spell their deaths if they didn't comply with what the man wanted.

The man glanced down at the coins and then did a double take before snatching the coins from Harry. He chewed something in his cheek before glaring back at Harry with another wave of his weapon.

"What's this?" he asked, spitting something dark with a sour scent onto Harry's shoes. "Do you think I'm stupid, son? This aint money."

He threw the coins to the sidewalk and Harry felt a disheartened sensation in the put of his stomach as they rolled this way and that, some making their way to an open drain where they fell to the depths. That was the only chance Harry could think of - the coins - and he racked his brain for another way out of the situation before the bus pulled away.

"Officer!" Harry yelled past the man, hoping that the man would look behind him. As predicted, the man did look over his shoulder and gave Lupin a split second to draw his wand.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Lupin muttered under his breath and a blast of light knocked the gun from the man's hand and to the sidewalk where it balanced delicately over the drain that had eaten Harry's coins moments before. The man twisted back around with a scared expression on his face while he stumbled back a pace.

"Wha - what did you just do?" he asked as the gun continued its tumble down the drain.

"That doesn't matter," Lupin said in a cold tone. "Get out of here before I do something more unspeakable to your sorry corpse!"

The man sprinted as fast as he could in the opposite direction while the bus opened its doors once more to allow Lupin and Harry aboard.

"That was close," the bus driver said as Lupin dropped a few coins into the fare box. "We were just about to have someone call the cops. That guy's been a nuisance for weeks."

"You'd think in a city like this the authorities would have nothing better to do than put those annoyances where they belong," Lupin nodded and led Harry to a seat at the back of the bus where they both took seats.

"Lupin!" Harry started once the bus was moving. "That was amazing! Did you see that guy run from us? And he wasn't even a Wizard!"

"It's easy to deal with Muggles, Harry," Lupin replied. "They fail to realize we have the upper hand. Our wands alone are more powerful than any weapon they can create. Aside from the atom bomb, I suppose. But still..." A deep sigh rent through Lupin and he sat back in his seat. That was the first time that Harry realized Lupin was just as nervous as Harry felt.

"Are you scared, Lupin?" he asked.

Lupin glanced over at Harry without any expression.

"A little, Harry," he answered, looking back to the window. "I don't know how your wand got so far away. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with Voldemort's plan to murder you. We're in even more danger now that we've left Europe. Wizards in America are not the same as Wizards in Europe, by any means. Their social structure is completely different. I don't know where we will find hospitality if needed. I have a feeling there won't be much in a tiny little town like Smallville."

Harry pondered what Lupin had just told him and sat back himself. Perhaps Lupin was right. Perhaps this was a more dangerous journey than any Harry had ever embarked on in his life.

He prayed he was wrong.

Miles away, Harry Potter's wand sat in the hands of Clark Kent as he raced away from Lex Luthor's mansion with Chloe Sullivan at the wheel.


End file.
